In 2021, as part of our holiday giveaway challenge, we gave one lucky member a free year of nutrition coaching. Now, a full year later, we caught up with her. Read on to find out how the last 12 months have impacted her life, how she’s doing now, and her most significant takeaway from this experience.
Meet Suzanne—an accomplished physician who recently turned 50, a mom to two teenage daughters, and most recently, a dedicated Stronger U member. As the winner of our 2021 12 Days of Giveaways Challenge, she’s had the opportunity to fully invest in herself over the last year, blowing her expectations out of the water. Her testimonial will inspire anyone who feels like they don’t have the time to dedicate to themselves and their well-being.
In early November of 2021, Suzanne joined Stronger U as a trial run to see if it was a good fit for her. She had heard about the program through a virtual Facebook community of other physician moms and decided to try us out, initially only planning to do a month. Right around the middle of her first month of membership, she entered the giveaway and won out of 1200 entries!
“I’ve always been active and health-conscious; I was a dietitian before I became a physician,” Suzanne shared. However, like many of us, juggling career, parenting, and general life responsibilities led her to not feel as comfortable in her body as she’d like. She knew she needed to refocus her energy on herself and thought having some additional accountability could be helpful. She had tried other programs and didn’t see much success due to the non-personal nature, so she hoped Stronger U would be different. (Spoiler alert: it is.)
As a healthcare worker and parent on the heels of the global pandemic, Suzanne’s goals were focused around caring for herself and her health versus weight focused. She initially had a casual outlook toward weight loss, hoping to lose about 20 pounds. “I don’t aspire to be skinny; I aspire to take good care of myself and to feel good in my body. To do the activities I want to do, and comfortably pick a pair of pants out of my closet. [I aspire to] set a good example for my kids and the people around me because that’s important to me,” she confidently stated.
Suzanne admitted that she probably wouldn’t have signed up for a year on her own if she hadn’t won it. However, in hindsight, she realizes that if she hadn’t invested the time and energy for a year and committed to the lifestyle, she wouldn’t have been as consistent through the ups and downs and achieved all she’s accomplished.
Through working with her coach Gretchen, Suzanne received the personalization and accountability she sought and more than doubled her weight loss goal, having lost 49 pounds! Most importantly, she feels good in her body and has prioritized herself and her health.
“There’s something really impactful about setting aside a certain amount of your energy and attention to think about where in your day, in your week, in your life you’re going to focus on your wellness and how you feel.” Suzanne says, “People talk about pounds as metrics for their success. For me, part of the journey and what ends up being meaningful is the process of knowing that, more often than not, there’s a space and a time that can be set aside to think about how you take care of your whole person. When you do that, you tend to feel better overall, and sometimes the way you feel better overall has other things you can measure that by.”
She and her coach have also built a great relationship. “Gretchen is pretty flexible, and she’s always met me where I was. Both with suggestions and affirmations. She’s structured and steadfast. She offers one part strategy and one part support.”
The praise is reciprocated, as Gretchen applauded Suzanne for her commitment to showing up for herself and embracing the process without making excuses.
So what’s next for Suzanne? After tracking macros consistently for about ten months, she’s stepped into temporary maintenance over the last month and is moving away from regularly tracking, all with the support of her coach. As she looks ahead into 2023, she’s been sharing her goals with Gretchen, which include continuing to feel good in her body and incorporating strength training into her routine. Go, Suzanne! We can’t wait to support you through your next year of goal-crushing!
If Suzanne’s story inspires you, thousands more like hers are in our community. Make 2023 the year you say yes to yourself and your well-being. Sign up to become a Stronger U member and get the support you need from a Stronger U Coach.
